Sen. Mike Bennett serves up the Kool-aid on growth-management-killer SB 360
May 25, 2009 at 7:20 am by Kelly Cornelius
By Kelly Cornelius
PoHo contributor and R-LAND activist
A piece in the Times from Senator Mike Bennett-R who spawned SB 360 (a bill that dismantles growth management), shares his idea of smart growth as it is titled For smart Fla growth. OK, Mr. Bennett, I guess that depends on what your definition of smart is. He says in part:
The bill promotes growth in dense urban areas by removing the state required costs of transportation concurrency and the duplicative development of regional impact (DRI) process within those areas.
(Nimby translation: Developers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for more growth by having to pay for infrastructure; that is what you taxpayers are for.)
Additionally he claims, “The bill also states that existing contracts or agreements regarding transportation concurrency will remain in effect. There should not be a sudden stop to any ongoing roadway projects.” Even our own Hillsborough County Commission, who have NEVER been accused of promoting smart growth, disagree on that one. Its letter to the Gov speaks to previous projects by saying ”the bill would also give the option for a developer or landowner to request that an existing DRI development order for a project within the County’s USA be rescinded and upon a showing of all the required mitigation related to the development existing on the date of the recission has been completed by the County would be required to grant such a request. The effect of rescinding existing DRI development orders could be to relieve developers of large projects from providing previously agreed-upon mitigation obligations. As a result, many anticipated and substantial roadway improvements may not be constructed.”
You can download the full letter in .pdf format by clicking this link: request_veto_sb_3602.
Although there has been some confusion about our Gov signing this bill at the time this post was submitted he has not saddled us with this sprawl-happy legislation. You can contact him here and tell him if you want more growth without more infrastructure or if you don’t mind footing more bills for sprawl. You can also call the peep’s Guv at 1-850-487-0801. I found that number in this action alert from the League of Women Voters of Tallahassee regarding SB 360 as they are against it as well.
Update: After this post was submitted I was forwarded this article from the New York Times where once again Floriduh is getting national recognition. This time we have SB 360 and all of those politicians that supported it in the House and the Senate to thank. Charlie might not like all this negative press and that might just tip the scales toward residents so THANK YOU NY TIMES!
May 25th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Is Bennett planning on retiring?
I hope so, because the electorate will demasculate him the next time he runs. Of course that’s if they’re paying attention.
The negative effects of this horrendous bill will certainly be felt in Hillsborough. Take Fishhawk, for example. They still owe us infrastructure (to be built at a future date). For sure, they will walk away from those obligations and we will be stuck with increasing traffic problems as they expand that development, without any relief. And then the Sprawl Team will tell us if we want traffic relief, we’ll have to pay for it.
I’m sick of having the development lobby running our government!!!
May 25th, 2009 at 9:56 am
“Florida growth-management bill awaits governor’s signature”
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/article1003884.ece#comments
May 25th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
This is the kind of thing that leads to constitutional amendments. If Crist signs this, Hometown Democracy is a lock for 2010 and the overbuilding industry will die anyway. Then we in Florida can start looking for ways to make a living that are less destructive and shortsighted.
May 25th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
The headshot is perfect…sneering pompous dickweed.
VoteSmart info suggests a former gook-killin’ ‘Murican Legion man, dancing with the growth machine elites what brung him.
If anyone can get us out of our current mess…it wouldn’t in a million years be this guy.
May 25th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Hi Kelly,
Great post. Thanks for you’ve done to bring attention to SB 360. This weekend I created this video — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01EhpYxih_o — to try to put a face on some of the “dense urban areas” in Hillsborough County. There are a lot of reasons to be against this bill; I hope enough people give Gov. Crist enough reasons to convince him to veto it.